Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 9: Food and Agriculture

Practice Quizzing

1
The most common dietary problem in rich countries is
A)iron deficiency.
B)overeating.
C)inadequate intake of vitamins.
D)inadequate intake of minerals.
2
A diet inadequate in iron produces a condition called
A)scurvy.
B)kwashiorkor.
C)marasmus.
D)anemia.
3
New revisions in the food pyramid recommend
A)increasing consumption of red meat.
B)increasing consumption of unsaturated plant oils.
C)increasing consumption of carbohydrates like pasta and potatoes.
D)decreasing consumption of nuts.
4
Soil is composed of
A)mineral material.
B)partially decomposed plant and animal bodies.
C)air spaces.
D)all of the above.
5
Organisms that live in soil
A)actually hinder plant uptake of minerals.
B)while not critically important, do facilitate plant uptake of soil nutrients.
C)on balance have neither particularly helpful nor harmful effects.
D)are crucial to soil’s ability to produce food.
6
___________ accounts for the greatest amount of water use globally.
A)Manufacturing
B)Food processing
C)Sanitation
D)Agriculture
7
Genetic engineering refers to the process of
A)moving genes from one type of organism to another.
B)carefully selecting pollinators for crop plants.
C)creating synthetic genes for favorable traits.
D)all of the above.
8
Genes for natural pesticides that are toxic to potato bugs have recently been transferred into potato plants making the plants lethal to these bugs. A main concern is that
A)these genes will escape from potatoes and disrupt other natural ecosystem functions.
B)these genes will mutate to become lethal to the potato plants that contain them.
C)natural selection will rapidly produce strains of potato bugs that are immune to the toxin in the plant.
D)the cost to farmers will exceed the benefits.
9
Compared to high intensity industrial agriculture, low input sustainable agriculture would involve
A)reduced use of pesticides.
B)more crop rotation.
C)less inorganic fertilizer.
D)all of the above.
10
World food production is losing ground, unable to keep up with our growing population.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
11
People inadequately fed are especially vulnerable to death from disease.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
12
Genetically modified crops are created by inserting genetic material from one species into another.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
13
The problem of soil erosion has been largely eliminated in the U.S.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
14
Transgenic plants are those that have had genes from other organisms incorporated into their cells.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
15
Micorrhizal symbiosis reveals fungi to be more damaging to plant growth than originally believed.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
16
Food security refers to
A)the efforts a nation expends to protect its food resources from invasions by other countries
B)the ability to obtain sufficient food on a day-to-day basis
C)the individuals who distribute food in underdeveloped nations.
D)None of the above
17
It is difficult for a society to recover from a famine because people often deplete their means of food production in an effort to stay alive.
A)True
B)False
18
Desertification occurs when
A)Deserts spread across the landscape
B)Productive land turns into desert
C)vegetation is removed and erosion occurs
D)All of the above
19
Reduced tillage agricultural systems
A)consume less energy than traditional systems
B)lead to less soil degradation
C)Require more energy
D)1 and 2 are correct
E)1 and 3 are correct
20
Agroecology entails the application of ecological knowledge and principles to sustainable food production.
A)True
B)False
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